Manuscripts Collection
Mac Martin was a prominent figure in the advertising and business community of Minneapolis for more than fifty years. The Mac Martin Advertising Agency, which he established in 1904, was at one time one of the largest advertising agencies in the country. In 1931 it merged with the Erwin Wasey Agency and the firm became known as the Erwin, Wasey and Company, with Mac Martin as its president.
A native of Wabasha, Minnesota, Martin graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1903. Always interested in raising business and advertising standards, he was instrumental in founding the Publicity Club in 1907. This group later developed into the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce and the Minneapolis Advertising Club. He also was instrumental in the founding of the first Better Business Bureau, established in Minneapolis in 1914. From 1911 to 1921, before the establishment of the business school, Martin lectured on advertising at the University of Minnesota and worked for the establishment of the American Association of Advertising Agencies.
Martin retired from advertising in 1956, but worked as a consultant to his old firm for a time before passing away on April 10, 1958 at the age of 77. He was survived by his wife, Alice; two stepsons; one stepdaughter; and one niece. The name of his advertising agency was changed to White, Herzog & Nee, Inc. in 1958, and finally to Peterson, Herzog & Nee in 1972.
Among the companies that have extensive advertising samples in this collection are the Andersen Lumber Company, the Commander-Larabee Corporation, the Minneapolis-Moline Power Implement Company, the Minnesota Valley Canning Company (later renamed the Green Giant Corporation), the Nash Coffee Company, The Soo Line Railroad Company (Minneapolis, St. Paul, & Sioux St. Marie Railroad Company), and the Washburn-Crosby Company. More local companies include the Cream of Wheat Company, The Insulite Company, Investors Syndicate (now part of American Express Company), the J.R. Watkins Company (Winona), the Perfection Manufacturing Company (Minneapolis), and the Midland National Bank and Trust Company (Minneapolis).
Also present are tourism advertisements and brochures of the Minnesota Department of Business Development (1964-1967); newspaper advertising and posters of Karl Rolvaag's 1966 campaign for governor of Minnesota; films related to the political campaigns of Karl Rolvaag, Eugene McCarthy, and others; and real estate brochures and booklets lauding farm land and orchards in Oregon, Montana, and North Dakota (1910s). Also of note is an anonymous diary of a trip to Japan in 1903 and radio scripts of the Nancy Foster's Cooking School (1931-1932) sponsored by Nash Coffee.
The records were originally glued and taped into scrapbooks, often with several companies represented in each volume. Items that had become loose or that could be easily removed were foldered and arranged in an alphabetical sequence by company name in boxes one through six. Also, items were removed so that the resulting volumes contained the records of only one company. Boxes seven through nine contain volumes in relatively good condition with no or few loose items. Loose items that could be removed and flattened are contained in boxes ten through twelve. The detailed description that follows lists each company in alphabetical order and its records in chronological order, even if that company's proofs are contained in several different boxes. At the front of the sequence are two folders containing ads and clippings relating to the Mac Martin Agency and Erwin, Wasey and Company. Folders containing color images also are noted in the inventory. Sixteen millimeter films are described at the end of the inventory in box thirteen.
Accession number: 15,505; 15,981
Processed by: Richard Arpi, April 2001 and October 2005
Catalog ID number: 1737040
629 Palace Building, Minneapolis. "What We Do and Why We Do It" brochure on cooperative orchards and farms.
St. Paul. "Rough Roosters" candy.
Park Square, St. Paul. Manufacturer of unusual gifts and a memo index.
Minneapolis. Manufacturer of the Jon-E handwarmer. See also Orbex, Inc.
West Minneapolis. "The American Ditcher" catalog of road machinery.
420 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis. Maker of pariogen tablets and other feminine hygiene products.
Albert Lea, Minnesota. Gas stoves, heaters, and camping stoves.
Madison Street N.E., Minneapolis. Ronning Ensilage Harvester and other farm machinery.
One set in color, one in black and white.
One set in color, one in black and white.
Black and white, one for realtors, one for dealers, one for architects and one for the consumer (48 in all).
Color, one for realtors, one for dealers, one for architects, and one for the consumer (48 in all).
Glued into an oversize booklet; in good condition.
5520 County Road 18, Hopkins, Minnesota. Maker of precision tool and die machinery.
15012 Minnetonka Industrial Road, Minnetonka, Minnesota. Modems for computers.
Minneapolis. "Auto-Kem-Clo True Progressive Sanitation"; 12-page pamphlet.
401 Main Street N.E., Minneapolis. Home roofing contractor.
Minneapolis-New York. Soluble Barrington Hall Coffee.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Stucco construction company.
Tenth Avenue South, Minneapolis. Power and light machinery.
3104 Snelling Avenue, Minneapolis. BB gun shot.
Includes ads for architectural publications, 1922 (1-12); ads for contractors publications, 1922 (13-24); ads for lumber publications, 1922 (25-28); for architectural publications, 1923 (A1-12); contractors publications, 1923 (C1-12); trade papers, 1923 (D1-4); architectural publications, 1924 (A1-9); contractors publications, 1924 (C1-12); and dealer publications, 1924 (D1-4).
Three locations in Minneapolis.
Office in Minneapolis and mill in New Orleans. Ad is folded page from the
November 20, 1921 issue of the
South St. Paul, Minnesota. 1976: Color magazine ads from
1980: Agricultural Chemical Tie-in ads, arranged by chemical (Bladex, Banvel, Eradicane, Roundup, etc.).
15151 Highway 5, Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Manufacturer of hydraulic horsepower products. Company appears to have been renamed Eaton Fluid Power Products in 1972. Some ads are in color.
Cold Spring, Minnesota. Some use of color in the ads.
Minneapolis and Kansas City grain milling.
Minneapolis. Wood core board manufacturer.
Rochester, Minnesota. Manufacturer of products to extract fat safely.
St. Paul, Minnesota. Pamphlets and brochures on the Crane-Ordway Water System.
Some items in color. 1920-1923. 1 volume.
Some items in color.
4410 Excelsior Boulevard, Minneapolis.
124 South Eighth Street, Minneapolis. "Tropical Fruit Nectars: The Juices of Oranges, Lemons, Pineapples, and Figs," booklet of sketches and recipes.
Real estate brochure for the Homewood neighborhood of Minneapolis entitled "Homewood-Eighty Improved and Restricted Wooded Acres Adjoining Glenwood Park."
6950 Wayzata Boulevard, Minneapolis. Company was involved with heat recovery.
10130 Highway 55, Minneapolis. Window manufacturer.
Minneapolis. Company which made harnesses, collars, and shoes for horses.
New Ulm, Minnesota. Miller of Daniel Webster flour.
St. Paul manufacturer of cleaning products.
500 South Fourth Street, Minneapolis. Publisher of baby care books.
Minneapolis commercial art school also known as Federal School of Illustrating, Federal School of Applied Cartooning, and Art Instruction, Inc.
27th Avenue and 27th Street South, Minneapolis. Three pamphlets entitled, "Ornamental Lighting as an Advertisement," "Bronze the Imperishable Memorial," and "Proposal and Contract Form."
Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Des Moines. Makers of paint products.
28th and University avenues in Minneapolis. "A catalog of gas traction engines."
Minneapolis investment company [?].
St. Paul, Minnesota. "The Gordon Fur Book," ca. 120 pp. catalog.
4629 Lake Harriet Boulevard, Minneapolis. Spring 1912 catalog.
Omaha, Sioux City, and St. Paul. Soap and Blue Barrel Petrolene products.
Minneapolis. Brochure for automobile pistons.
Minneapolis. Makers of the George B. Norris and Holland pianos.
1181 Builders Exchange, Minneapolis. Makers of wood-fiber insulating board. Around 1942 they became a division of the Minnesota and Ontario Paper Company.
Minneapolis. Later became the financial planning division of the American Express Company.
627 First Avenue North, Minneapolis. Makers of bronze service tablets.
Winona, Minnesota. Makers and retailers of vitamins, vanilla, lotions, farm and household products. Some ads are in French. Features newspaper column entitled "I was just figuring," by Cy Watkins.
Eugene, Oregon. Brochure for Fern Ridge Orchards. Eastern representative of this company was the Patton-Madison Land Company of St. Paul.
Shakopee, Minnesota. Distributor of Rock Spring sparkling water and other beverages.
Contains some photographs.
28-page booklet by an anonymous author.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Recipe booklet by Ida C. Bailey entitled "Delicious Ham and Bacon Recipes."
KR Security Kulverts brochure; KR Wood Preserver brochure; Creosoted Wood Block Flooring booklet; The New and More Economical Creosoted Wood Block Pavement booklet.
120 Cedar Street, Owatonna, Minnesota.
243 First Avenue North, Minneapolis. Maker of children's snowsuits; also known as Martin Brothers Company.
Minneapolis. Maker of nasal jellies and other cold remedies.
Booklet of a Minneapolis department store entitled "Donaldson's Secret of Success Being a Collection of Pictures Which Show the Superior Service Offered by the L.S. Donaldson Company."
Catalog of the LaCrosse, Wisconsin company.
Located in south Minneapolis.
918 North Third Street, Minneapolis. Mouthwash manufacturer.
North Third Street, Minneapolis. Farm machinery wholesaler.
Minneapolis baker. Booklet entitled "A Travelogue to the Home of Sunshine by Mary Sunshine."
Baker of Waldorf Crackers and saltine crackers.
Located in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Minneapolis.
Minneapolis. Makers of raspberry nectar and other fruit drinks.
Alcohol treatment center located in Wickenburg, Arizona.
Potomac and DeKalb Streets, St. Louis, Missouri. Brochure on wood split pulleys.
1364 Buchanan Place, Minneapolis. Manufacturers of computer equipment.
Second Avenue and Fourth Street, Minneapolis.
823 Plymouth Building, Minneapolis. Brochures for an auto luggage carrier and a timing system for Ford automobiles.
"A Case of Friendship" advertising booklet containing 14 newspaper ads for Grain Belt Beer, aimed at the North and South Dakota market.
Brochure entitled "The Power Behind Minneapolis."
Carriers' greeting booklet containing poetry about Minneapolis scenes.
Located at 1201 Winter Street, N.E., Minneapolis.
Printing industry trade association ads.
International Falls, Minnesota and Ft. Francis and Kenora, Ontario, Canada.
Historical booklet entitled "After Twenty Years the Development of a New Idea in Insurance and Finance."
LeSueur, Minnesota. Producers of canned peas, corn, and other vegetables.
1628 North Second Street, Minneapolis.
2628 University Avenue, S.E., Minneapolis. Auto mechanics' school.
Palace Building, Minneapolis. "Evidence" booklet on real estate in North Dakota.
2111 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. Booklet on bread entitled "The Story of the Staff of Life."
Brochure from a show held in Minneapolis.
Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis.
Brochure from a Minneapolis firm.
Fargo, North Dakota. Booklet entitled "Why They Move to North Dakota."
Minneapolis seed company.
Brochure from a show held in Minneapolis.
Andrus Building, Minneapolis. Brochure on orchards and real estate in the Bitter Root Valley of Montana entitled "The Mrs. Daniel Boone of Today."
620 South Eighth Street, Minneapolis. Maker of the Jon-E handwarmer and other products, including blades. See also: Aladdin Laboratories, Inc.
Minneapolis. Fishing and archery equipment.
1331 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis. Mechanical pencil ads 11-18.
2125 East Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis. Makers of milking pumps and other farm equipment.
Foshay Tower, Minneapolis. Manufacturer of charcoal briquets.
Seattle, Washington. "Pacific Coast Timber Profits" booklet.
Excelsior, Minnesota. Two brochures from an Inn formerly known as the Glen Morris Inn.
Box 24064, Minneapolis.
Minneapolis. Booklet entitled "Occident is no Accident, Being the History of the Progress of a New Idea in Milling Introducted by the Russell-Miller Milling Company."
145-147 East Fifth Street, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Full-page ads for the Sunday paper.
Sleep Specialists brochure, ca. 1930.
Minneapolis. Manufacturer of feminine hygiene products.
104 East 10th Street, St. Paul, Minnesota. Tire repair shop.
Minneapolis dealer of outboard motors.
Fourth Street and Second Avenue South, Minneapolis. Historical booklet printed for the bank's twentieth anniversary.
29th Convention Program for show held in Minneapolis, published by the Minneapolis Florists Club, ca. 120 pages.
24-page booklet entitled "A Farm of Science System and Size in Sunny Southern Alberta."
8-page pamphlet of Minneapolis studio entitled "Atmospheric Photography...Studios of Sweet."
2256 Terminal Road, St. Paul, Minnesota. Audio-visual equipment.
Minneapolis. Makers of a vacuum tube crystal hearing aid.
Minneapolis designer and manufacturer of interior building fixtures. "Bank Interiors" booklet, ca. 40 pages.
Minneapolis. 30-page cigar brochure entitled "The Witchery of the Weed."
Exposition brochure.
Lake City, Minnesota.
Minneapolis; ca. 20 ads.
Eastern office located at 415 Plymouth Building, Minneapolis. 34-page booklet on orchards located in Clarks Fork Valley, Montana.
St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. Maker of cassette heads.
Waconia, Minnesota. Manufacturer of syrup products.
Salem, Oregon; under the management of the A.C. Bohrnstedt Company of Minneapolis. 20-page booklet.
Ft. Worth, Texas. 15-page booklet on farm mortgages.
Waseca, Minnesota. Ads for
213-223 North Second Street, Minneapolis. Toaster division of the McGraw Electric Company of Minneapolis.
"The Farmer's Wife" ads for
Albert Lea, Minnesota.
Winona, Minnesota. 19-page booklet entitled "The Legend of the Indian Maiden Wenonah."
Minneapolis and Hollywood, California. Hygiene products.
Des Moines, Iowa. Chicken hatcheries.
Includes three 60-second campaign advertisements for the DFL candidate from Fergus Falls for the U.S. Congress. The color advertisements feature Wenstrom, the farmer; Wenstrom, the family man; and Wenstrom, the legislator (with an appearance by Rudy Perpich).
Short interviews with ordinary people on the street on what they think of Rolvaag and the job he is doing as governor. Black and white and about five minutes in length.
McCarthy is asked 6-7 questions by an anonymous news reporter. Black and white. Tape is in 6 to 7 sections and needs splicing. About 15 minutes in length.
Interviews with several ordinary citizens on the street who were asked what they think of Senator McCarthy. Black and white; around one minute.
McCarthy is interviewed by Garry Moore shortly before the Nebraska primary election in the spring of 1968. Black and white and about 30 minutes in length.
Short statement by Eugene McCarthy in support of Karl Rolvaag's re-election as governor of Minnesota. Black and white; 5 minutes.
Short statement by Fraser during his campaign. Black and white; around one minute. In two pieces; needs a splice.
Promotion piece in color; around one minute. PSI, producer.
60-second promotion piece, in color; features farm scenes set to music.
Features two 30-second announcements involving a gas station and a board of directors meeting. In color but rather poor quality.